Friday, March 29, 2013

Its been a long week, but I hope this Holiday Weekend brings you all fun times! And *try* not to OD on Peeps... And get excited for April's Artist of the Month, Masha Kupets GD '04﻿! Coming next Friday! Hoppy Arting (Get it? Its a pun! About rabbits!) and let us know what you did!

SATURDAY

Head Downtown for the 80th Annual Blessing of the Animals. The event takes place from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at El
Pueblo Historical Monument, with a procession on Olvera Street
commencing at 2:00 p.m. and blessing to immediately follow. There will be an exciting charro equestrian show,
pony rides for children and a petting zoo complete with llamas, sheep,
cows and other animals.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Whether you're spending this Holiday Weekend with your family or looking for something to do there's PLENTY to view on the RISD/LA BLOG this week Alums! Check it out and let us know what you did! Happy Arting!FRIDAY & SATURDAYLebowski Fest is a two-day celebration of all things Lebowski!3/22/13 - Lebowski Fest LA Movie Party - Music by The Kyle Gass Band of Tenacious D, a Lebowski Poster Art Show by Bill Green.
Followed by a 35mm screening of "The Big Lebowski" @ Doors at 8,
show at 9The Saban Theatre8440 Wilshire BlvdBeverly Hills, CA3/23/13 - Lebowski Fest LA Bowling Party
Ticket includes general admission bowling and shoe rental. Bowling
is general admission and not guaranteed.7pm to 11pm$25 ADV / $30 Day ofFountain Bowl17110
Brookhurst StFountain Valley, CAFor tickets and complete details visit http://www.lebowskifest.com/UpcomingFests/LebowskiFestLAMar2223/tabid/252/Default.aspx

SATURDAY

Pasadena Heritagewill host an illustrated lecture followed by an afternoon drive-yourself tour of four
significant homes of the period, many of which are on the National
Register of Historic Places.

HOT ROD Magazine is turning 65 years old this year and hosting aHot Rod Homecoming. It’s a collection of 300 plus HOT ROD cover cars and feature cars from across the country
Advance discount tickets are $18
Kids 6-12 are $5, and kids under 6
are free.
Tickets may also be purchased the day of the show at the
Fairplex in Pomona
$20 for adults and $5 for kids 6-12CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ADVANCE TICKETS.SATURDAY: 3.23.2013 – 10 AM TO 8 PMSUNDAY: 3.24.2013 – 10 AM TO 4 PMFairplex

The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills' author and real estate expert, Jeff Hyland will discuss 50 of the most famed estates in the golden triangle. The full story of each estate is told along with a listing of their
architectural features. A light tea will be served.Greystone Mansion905 Loma Vista DrBeverly Hills, CA 90210
For full details and to RSVP, click here https://www.facebook.com/events/383804875051853/MONDAY

Friday, March 15, 2013

Dia Dhuit Alums! Are you ready to revel in your Irish Roots this weekend? Or have you been training for the LA Marathon? Or have you been training to avoid the street closures for the LA Marathon? Either way, we've got you covered for things to check out this weekend. Take it easy on the green beers and tell us what you did! Happy Arting!SUNDAYSt. Patrick's Day Celebrations are happening all over LA, but to check out the bars that are hosting the biggest bashes, check out this LA Times listhttp://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-where-to-celebrate-st-patricks-day-in-los-angeles-20130315,0,4833526.story If you're not one of the elite running the LA Marathon this Sunday, don't get caught trying to cross the course, which runs pretty much the whole city, from SaMo to Downtown. For the complete list of street closures, click here http://laist.com/2013/03/15/street_closures_for_the_2013_asics.phpIf you're planning to head to the Long Beach Flea Market check out http://www.longbeachantiquemarket.com/ for complete information.Admission $6.00 6:30 AM - 2:00 PMEarly Admission $12.00 5:30 AM - 6:30 AMChildren Under 12 FreeThe Box Office closes at 2:00PM - Shop till 3:30 PMFree Parking - Rain or Shine - No Pets AllowedLong Beach Veterans Stadium4901 E Conant StreetLong Beach, CA 90808

Friday, March 8, 2013

Hey RISD/LA, have you heard all about the proposed LACMA/MOCA merger yet? What do you think about it? Will it benefit the LA Art Scene or are we putting all our eggs in one big basket?

In other news, its Daylight Savings Time again! Time to Spring Forward (ugh) or as some put it, "lose" an hour, so set all your clocks forward on Saturday night so you're not late to any of rest of the fun things happening this weekend. Let us know what you did and Happy Arting!

Its the second Sunday of the month so that means the Rose Bowl Flea Market, of course!Regular admission starts at 9am for$8.00 per person, children under 12 are admitted freeExpress admission from 8:00am - 9:00am at $10.00 per personEarly
admission from 7:00am - 8:00am at $15.00 per person, Special Preview VIP admission from 5:00am - 7:00am at $20.00 per personRose Bowl Stadium

After a day of figure painting, and flea marketing, see some professionals get in the (other kind of) paint at the Clippers / Pistons game. The Brown SoCal Alumni Organization has scored a group deal $36 / ticket. But hurry! These tickets sell fast
Contact: Lenny Kirschen, lkirschen@gmail.com 4:00 PM
- 9:00 PM
1111 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA
To get tickets and for full information check out http://www.brownsocal.org/events/2013/clippers-vs-pistons. Image via LA Times, Three of eight Mark Rothko paintings and Jackson Pollock's 1949 "Number 1" are in MOCA's permanent collection

Friday, March 1, 2013

Its a good weekend to stay off the 405 Alums, but if you happen to be heading to Henderson, NV do be sure to check out last month's featured Alumni Nicolas Shake's show 10th Circle. And make sure you check out this month's featured Alumni of the Month Bridget Konopka (neéMcKahan). Have a great weekend and as always, Happy Arting!
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FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

V for Vampira Art Show is a street event hosted by Monster A Gogo,
with participating retailers Shrine and Manic Panic. The show will feature artwork from artists influenced by Vampira, never seen before artwork by Maila “Vampira” Nurmi and the unique opportunity to purchase original
Vampira jewellery hand made by Maila Nurmi when she operated Vampira's
Attic on Melrose Ave.FridayMarch 1st - The show will be open for general entry between 8-10pm Saturday 2nd March - The show will be open all day from 12-9p

A: Judy Sue’s children’s book illustration’s class. I wrote and
illustrated a book that I still would like to finish one day. It was really fun
and informative about how to make a children’s book.

Q: Who or what inspires your work now?

A: I enjoy going to the museums and gallery openings here in LA. The
City is full of art, new and old that is very inspiring. I also travel a lot
and like to take pictures of textures I find in nature, and in cities. These
are always helpful when doing texture painting.

Q: What are you currently "doing" these days?

A: For the past 10 years I
have been working as a 3-D artist and then an Art Director for kids video games.With
my background first being in illustration and sculpting I then went back to
school to learn you do use those skill in the digital realm. I have worked on
Toontown Online, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and a few others. I really
enjoy working in 3-D and creating great looking assets for games, and the
problem solving that comes with it. There is always a balance of art and
technical limitations in games. You can make a game look amazing but if it is
too heavy to heavy to run, you don’t have much of a game. I enjoy working with
the tech team to see how far we can push the art, and come up with new ideas
and techniques to get the best of both worlds when possible. Another area I
specialize in is avatar design and customization. It is really important to
create a good avatar system for a game. The more the player identifies with
their avatar, the more they will enjoy playing.

Q: And what are you currently working on?

A: Currently I’m working on my portfolio and trying to brush up on
programs like Z-Brush. (A digital sculpting program that is pretty amazing)

I’m also may do a video tutorial for Gnomon School of Visual Effects
in the near future.

Q: What has changed the most for you, as an artist, in the last 10
years?

A: I think the thing that has changed the most for me as an artist is
that my career has taken me from being very hands-on artist to more of a
director and manager. I don’t do as much art as I used to, but I’m now making
an effort to do more of that on my own.

Also the technology is always changing and evolving especially in
the digital field. There is so much out there it sometimes feels like it’s hard
to keep up. I think it’s good to focus on what you enjoy and what will help you
in your career. You can’t be a master at every program out there.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years?

A: Who knows, I will probably be doing more consulting and freelance
work, or maybe just making art on my own for my own enjoyment. Only time will
tell.

Q: What do you love/hate about the "Art Scene" in LA?

A: I love the abundance of the LA art scene. There is every type of art
here to see and experience. I’m a member of the LACMAAvant-Garde group, and they have great art events that I
attend regularly throughout the city.

Q: What do you want to see out of the RISD LA Alumni organization in
the future?

A: I think the activities you have planned so far have been great. I
can’t think of anything else I would wantat the moment.